Confess Already!
by Colourful Glitter
Summary: Jane and Lisbon still haven't addressed their feelings for each other outwardly and even Red John is getting impatient. So, he decides to take matters into his own hands and push things along.
1. Reluctance and Impatience

**Author's Note: I'm not even going to pretend I know where this idea came from. I decided to write it out and post it. I have a test tomorrow and this is a welcome distraction. It's probably going to have two or three chapters, depending how it goes. It's not a tag to any episode, but I am contemplating writing a tag for the finale. Either way, I hope you all enjoy this first chapter!**

**Discalimer: If I owned the Mentalist, I wouldn't be so impatient to see how season six turns out.**

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"So, what brings you here so late?" Lisbon asked Jane as he sat down on her couch. She just really wanted to sleep, she was so tired. One night to relax and do nothing, was that so much to ask for? Apparently, if your name was CBI Agent Teresa Lisbon, it was.

Jane just shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd see what you were up to. Do you have any tea?"

Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Probably in a cupboard somewhere." Lisbon went to the kitchen to see if she had any, in hopes it would stop Jane from perusing her place for anything to further analyse her. She hadn't even had time to changer into her pyjamas once she got home before Jane showed up. In a way, she was actually grateful for that fact. Jane slinking around her apartment while she was wearing her Chicago Bears jersey that she slept in was not a good idea at all. He'd seen her in it once and that was bad enough. "I guess I ran out." Lisbon entered the living room again and plopped down on one of the chairs across from the couch. "You know. Because I drink it so often." She added, sarcastically.

"No need to be mean, Lisbon." Jane chastised lightly. "Do I detect some irritation because you lost at poker tonight?"

"No." Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Just so you know, it wasn't my worst night. Or my best night. But I'm not upset about poker."

Jane just looked at her.

"I'm _not_."

"Whatever you say." Jane shrugged.

"Is this what you came here for?" Lisbon raised a brow, getting quite annoyed. "To bug me about how well I may or may not have done at poker? Really?" She almost hoped it was. She equal parts wanted it to be about the wanting look he'd given her earlier, and just him wanting to bug her. She wasn't sure which would be better.

"Well, no, actually."

"Well, then, what do you want?" Lisbon huffed, trying not to blush at the other possibility. She just really needed to go to bed and sleep. Forever.

"I…" Jane trailed off, thinking over what he was going to say. He had contemplated what he'd wanted to say the whole drive here. He'd wanted to tell her he was sorry about pretending to forgot. Tell her that he did remember what he'd said to her that long while ago when they were trying to close in on Red John. Tell her he really _had_ meant it. "I-um…"

"What?"

"You know, never mind. Sorry to disturb you, Lisbon. You seem really tired. I'll let you take that long, hot shower you want and then go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lisbon gave him an odd look, not sure if she was more relieved or disappointed. She got up and walked him to the door anyway. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." Lisbon said as she unlocked to door.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Jane nodded, fixing his coat and stepping out the door, casting her one last glance before walking to his car and driving off. That had gone terribly.

Lisbon sighed heavily and went upstairs to take a shower after locking her front door again. Not three minutes after getting dressed was there another knock on her door. She groaned and headed down stairs. What the hell did Jane want _now_?

-Mentalist-

Jane lay on the couch in Lisbon's office. This wasn't the first time he'd ever slept here. He often slept here when he wanted some kind of assurance, but was unable to bring himself to actually get some from another human being. Namely Lisbon. So, sleeping on her office couch was the next best thing. It brought him some sort of comfort to be there. He got up and looked at the clock on her desk. Nine am. Everyone was starting to arrive. Odd. She was usually here by eight-thirty. She must have been more tired than he'd originally thought. Yeah, that was it. Jane tried his best to keep himself calm at Lisbon's tardiness. Well, tardiness by Lisbon's usual standards. She wasn't late _yet_, technically.

Minutes had ticked by with Jane waiting on Lisbon's office couch for her, but she wasn't there yet and Jane was beginning to get really worried. A knock on the door, brought Jane to his feet and he answered, yanking the door open. "Yes?"

A man that Jane vaguely recognised as someone that worked the desks in the main lobby was standing on the other side of the door. "This came for you." He held out a sealed, standard white envelope.

Jane looked down at the offered object and took it. "Thank you." He managed to force out.

"You're welcome." The other man mumbled and headed back to his post.

Jane examined the envelope. There was nothing written on it. She swallowed hard and hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. He ripped open the envelope and almost cried when he saw the red smiley face drawn on the top of the letter inside.

The letter read:

_Dear Patrick,_

_I think I have been fair in the amount of time I've given you to confess to her. Or for her to confess to you. To be perfectly honest, I tire of this game you two are playing with each other. It was fun at first-cute even-but it's gone on too long and I am bored. So, I guess I must take matters into my own hands. You really thought that not telling her how you felt would keep her from my sights? That's laughable! You aren't as smart as I thought you were, I guess. Damn shame. She might have made someone a lovely wife had she not been so…__**preoccupied**__ with all the problems you plagued her with over the years. However, I'm not without compassion. The photos I have enclosed in the envelope is a sample of what is to come, if you continue to bore me. But, I will give you a chance to make this all up to me. Next week, I will give you the opportunity to set some things straight. I just have to get some things ready first. I hope your ready, Patrick. The game has only just begun._

_Love,_

_Red John & Teresa_

Jane's mouth went dry and he slowly lifted the pictures out of then envelope. There were two. Both of Lisbon. She was lying unconscious on the floor, bruises all over her face and blood smeared everywhere.

"Jane?" Van Pelt asked, heading in his direction, detouring from her previous destination that had been her desk. "You look pale, are you o-" She stopped when she saw the photo Jane had in his hands. "Oh, my god." She could swear her heart stopped beating and she forgot how to breathe for a moment. "Guys!" She called to the other two team members. "We have a problem."

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**Author's Note: So, that's it for now. Let me know what you thought and if you want me to continue! :)**


	2. Her Blood and His Regret

**Author's Note: Wow, I was not expecting as big of a response as I got from the first chapter! Thanks guys! I appreciate all the reviews, favourites and follows! I think that's the most reviews I've ever gotten for a single chapter of any of my stories. Here's the second chapter. I hope you all enjoy it as much as the first chapter. It seems to me this fanfiction might run longer than I thought, but we'll see what happens. Haha. :3**

**Discalimer: The Mentalist is owned by Bruno Heller. My name is not Bruno Heller. :(**

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Lisbon squeezed her eyes tighter together before opening them and blinking a few times, trying to bring her vision back into focus. She felt painfully numb. Feeling nothing to the point that she was in pain. Slowly the room around her became a little less blurry. She turned her head slightly to the side, wishing she hadn't when pain shot through her skull. But, she needed to see where she was. The room was illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun over the ocean that could be seen through the floor-to-ceiling picture window on the wall opposite the foot of the bed. The room looked lovely. If only it weren't the place she were being held captive. The walls were a pretty blue with hard wood flooring and the room was big. Against the wall to Lisbon's right was a big vanity, complete with a light-rimmed mirror and next to it was a tall oak dresser. Reflected in the vanity mirror was a tall wardrobe that looked quite expensive, like everything else. There seemed to be a corner further down the wall that the vanity and dresser were up against that Lisbon couldn't see around. She glanced down at herself and saw she was secured to the bed with an IV in her arm. Her heart stopped at the sound of a door opening and closing, then approaching footsteps.

"Ah, I'm glad to see you're awake, Teresa." Red John said as he approached her bedside, dressed in all black and a red mask over his face and his voice seemed to bounce off the walls around the room. "How are you feeling?" He asked when he was standing over her.

Lisbon just glared at him silently.

"You're angry at me. I understand. Let me apologise, but you should know it needed to be done. Patrick truly needed to understand the gravity of this situation. Well, you also needed to understand the gravity of it as well. And I don't mean physical gravity. I mean the emotional gravity. If either of you _truly_ understood it, you would have had this upcoming conversation a long time ago and things wouldn't have wound up like this." Red John almost sounded disappointed, but then his tone became more cheery as he continued. "But, I guess we can only ever make the best of every situation we find ourselves in. Right, Teresa?"

Lisbon continued to say nothing.

"Oh, don't be so angry, darling. I spared your life…for now. You're welcome." He reached out to touch her, but Lisbon turned her face away, immediately regretting it again when she felt more pain run through her skull. "Tisk, tisk. You're only going to cause yourself more pain if you keep doing that. Don't worry. Your injuries will have healed in time for the event. I had my friend Ethan bandage you up nicely. He's a doctor, but you already know that. I believe you had an appointment with him last week. He said it went well."

Lisbon glanced back at him, shocked and terrified. Ethan _Huntington_? Her _private doctor_?

"He is a very good family doctor, isn't he?" Red John seemed proud.

Lisbon swallowed hard, suddenly feeling nauseous.

"On a bright side for you, Teresa, at least you know you were in good hands. Anyway. Seeing as you're not feeling up to having a conversation, I'll explain things to you. Hopefully, you will listen." Red John reached out and gently ran a finger over one of her bruised cheeks. "See, you and Patrick have been close to each other for a very long time. I know you both know that. You do your little dance every day. 'We're just friends' and all that. At first I thought it was fun. Sometimes I even found it cute and endearing. However, I figured one of you would eventually see that you were both in love with each other and change things. But, no, you're both apparently too stubborn for that and now I'm bored. I already know he loves you and that you return his feelings. He was trying to protect you and I'm almost offended that he didn't think I'd notice how he felt. I thought long and hard about what I was going to do about this dilemma. At first, I thought I would give you both a bit more time to come into your feelings and figure out how to express them. That never happened. So, here we are. I figured I would change the game and put you both in a new light for a reunion. Rest, now. You have a whole week to heal before your reunion and if you take the time and resources, that I have so kindly provided for you, to rest and rejuvenate yourself, you'll be back to your old self for the reunion." With that, Red John left the room, leaving Lisbon with her thoughts.

-Mentalist-

Jane felt nauseous with guilt and fear as he stepped through the door of Lisbon's home. He had been here just last night and she had been fine. Perfectly normal. Unharmed. And he had left her. Just chickened out, got up and left her alone for Red John to swoop in and take her. If only he'd stayed. Asked to sleep on the couch, maybe. But he hadn't and now she was gone. Then there was the question about not telling her how he felt. Was it the best decision? Red John claimed to have known anyway, but would telling her have changed things that drastically when it came to Red John? Drastically enough that Lisbon wouldn't have been taken? Maybe. Maybe not. He'd never know. All he could do now was try and find Lisbon. Find her and rescue her. Those pictures were a warning, Red John had written. Jane was going to be given the opportunity to set things straight, though he wasn't completely sure what that meant yet. All that mattered was that, that all meant Lisbon must still be alive. Red John was holding her somewhere and hadn't killed her. Jane still had a chance to get her back and save her.

"Jane?" Cho asked, not for the first time.

"Huh?" Jane returned from his thought, blinking. "What?"

"You going to help me look for clues or stand there, spaced out and feeling sorry for yourself?"

Jane could have almost smiled. Cho. The one you could always count on for an even tone and completely blunt statements. It was no wonder why Lisbon had him as her second in command. "I'm looking." Jane took a few more steps inside, observing the scene around him. Things had been knocked over and shoved around, messing the normally tidy living area. She had struggled. There were a few drops and smears of blood around the place, but not nearly as much as would have been expected. Whatever had put her in that blood-covered and bruised state for the photos that Red John had taken hadn't happened in her home. Not enough blood around for that. The other big component that was missing was the red smiley face drawn in Lisbon's blood on the wall.

Cho headed upstairs while Jane continued to ponder the main floor. "Upstairs doesn't even look like it was touched." Cho said, descending the stairs. "No blood, no mess. Why isn't there a smiley face? And the front door was locked. Why would he take the time to lock it?"

Jane continued to ponder. "I already got the letter." Jane finally spoke after a long silence. "He didn't need to repeat himself. I already knew it was his doing. And whatever his endgame is, it involves Lisbon being alive-at least for now. He couldn't take the blood he needed, I guess."

"So, he locked the door to make sure that no one could break in and we would have the crime scene the exact way he left it. Polite of him." Even though Cho's tone was it's usual evenness, it was obvious to Jane that the last part was sarcastic.

"Hm." Jane nodded, still a bit preoccupied with looking around. Something was bugging him and he wasn't sure what.

"You have something else?"

Jane simply shook his head.

"Okay. I'll give Van Pelt a call and see if she's gotten anywhere with Lisbon's phone and recent contacts. When Rigsby's done canvassing the area, we'll head back to the office."

Jane waved his hand at Cho absentmindedly to show he'd heard him as the Asian man pulled out his cell phone and headed outside. He looked over the tousled shelves, waiting for something to catch his eye. Some sort of clue that would explain the distinct feeling he had that he was missing something. He wouldn't be able to leave without satisfying that feeling. He found what he was looking for on one of the lower shelves. Everything else had fallen over or was cracked, except for one picture frame sitting in the middle of the shelf, a folded piece of paper stuck between the frame and the glass obscuring the picture the frame held. Jane gently took the frame in his hands, standing back up and plucking the piece of paper from the frame to see the picture. It was one of him and Lisbon that birthday he had gotten her the pony. Van Pelt had insisted on taking a picture of them with it. Lisbon was crouched next to the pony with Jane on her other side. Both their arms were extended to pet the furry animal and Jane had used that as an excuse to lean a bit closer into Lisbon's side. They both looked so happy in the photo and it felt like it had been taken a lifetime ago now.

"Rigsby's on his way back." Cho called through the door.

"Okay." Jane replied, unfolding the paper that had been stuck in the frame. He looked at the flowing script that the poem stanza was written in.

_Children of the future age,_

_Reading this indignant page,_

_Know that in a former time_

_Love, sweet love, was thought a crime._

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**Author's Note: Confessions. 1) I have no idea who Lisbon's personal doctor is or if he/she is in cahoots with Red John. I knew a doctor was neeed to save Lisbon and decided it would be an odd twist to throw her personal doctor in there. 2) The poem is from William Blake and it's called 'A Little Girl Lost'(just in case someone wanted to look it up or something). And I totally googled him in attempt to find a fitting poem by him. I think I succeeded. 3) I contemplated making this chapter longer and going into the investigation more, but ending the chapter with the first stanza of that poem was too tempting and that won out. Next chapter the investigation continues. Promise. 4) I actually almost didn't even publish this story. I wasn't sure I really wanted to. 5) I still love you guys and really, really want to know what you thought about this chapter! So, please leave a review! :3**


	3. Crossing T's and Dotting I's

**Author's Note: Hey, look everyone! Chapter three! Yay! Yep. This story is going to be a bit longer than I originally thought it was going to be. Thank you all-again-for all the lovely reviews and the favourites and follows. I appreciate them :3.**

**Disclaimer: *grumblegrumblegrumble***

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"Okay. Lets go over what we have." Cho leaned against Lisbon's desk in her office with the team seated at the table with files and information in front of them, Jane on the couch. Normally, Cho wouldn't be in Lisbon's office-or let anyone who wasn't Jane poke around in Lisbon's office-without her permission, but they needed a more private area to work than the bullpen. This was sensitive and very, very important. They needed Lisbon back. No one wanted to even consider what might happen if Lisbon died. The grief such an even would have on them all. The impact it would have on their careers, the unit, even their ability to concentrate. "Red John didn't leave a body and the note said the pictures he sent Jane were a warning, so Lisbon is probably still alive."

"There's nothing suspicious in her phone records or e-mails." Van Pelt put in, seriously hoping that she wouldn't be asked to double-check it. She felt so invasive going through her boss' personal records. It was for a good cause, and she had dug as deep as possible regardless, but she still had that nagging in the back of her mind that told her it was all wrong to be doing such a thing. However, she pushed through that and reminded herself it would all be worth it if they got Lisbon back alive.

"Her immediate neighbours said there was some thudding they heard, but not enough noise to raise alarm. They said someone came by earlier to tell them that some furniture had to be moved later that night and so they assumed that's what the noise was. Got a sketch done, but it's not much. Apparently they guy wore a baseball cap and aviator sunglasses. Claimed he was a relative of Lisbon's." Rigsby added.

Van Pelt pursed her lips and shook her head. Family. Was there a boundary Red John wasn't willing to cross?

"Van Pelt, search for men that fit the description of the one that talked to the neighbours. I don't expect a name immediately, but at least we can narrow down the suspect pool."

"I need to talk to the neighbours." Jane finally spoke up. "Make sure they tell us everything they remember about the guy. It would help."

"You mean hypnotise them. No. That wouldn't hold up in court because it's unethical."

"It doesn't have to be ethical or hold up in court." Jane shot back. "It just has to help us find Lisbon."

Cho looked at Jane for a long, hard moment. "Fine. But not in the office and do it discreetly."

"Thank you." Jane nodded.

"Don't thank me. It's not a favour to you." Cho turned back to the other team members.

"So, what's with the poem?" Rigsby questioned. "It means something, right? What does it mean?"

"It's by William Blake." Cho said.

Though Jane knew that Cho read a lot and had much knowledge about poetry, it never stopped surprising him when Cho spouted more of his knowledge to them. Was reading all he did in his spare time?

"Isn't that the same guy that wrote-"

"The Tyger." Jane cut Van Pelt off, finishing her sentence. "Yeah."

"Okay. What's this one?" Rigsby prompted.

"It's called A Little Girl Lost." Jane stated.

"It's about the freedom to be able to truly love someone being idealistic. Though in the poem it also says that one day it is something that could happen."

Van Pelt and Rigsby slowly slid their gazes to Jane still sitting on Lisbon's office couch. He made no reaction to their gazes, not noticing them or simply not caring.

"So…that's his reasoning for all this?" Van Pelt broke the heavy silence that had fallen over the office. "He wants to show that people are free to love whoever they want? Even Jane?"

"Something like that." Jane muttered, unwilling to tell them that he knew exactly what it meant because then he would have to tell them exactly what it meant. After Charlotte and Angela had died, Jane had not wanted to truly love again. He had felt it was wrong, as the poem said, a crime. However, he had come to truly love again with Lisbon. But he was still stuck in the idea that the true love was a crime because he still hadn't killed Red John. He hadn't avenged his family yet. Now Red John was showing him that, really, the right to love her was there and he had seriously mishandled that right. So, that right was being threatened to be taken away. All because he had been stuck in the idea that it was bad to love her.

"The thing that concerns me more than the poem is the letter Red John sent Jane." Cho spoke, bringing Jane's attention back to the task at hand. "It said that next week Jane was going to be able to 'set some things straight' and that he just had to 'get some things ready' before that happened. What do you think that means, Jane?"

"I…don't know." Jane shook his head, feeling helpless.

"So, Red John is going to kill Lisbon next week if Jane doesn't do what Red John wants him to, but he never specified what he wanted Jane to do. That's an impossible situation to win in." Rigsby's jaw clenched.

"But Red John said he had to get some things ready before Jane could set things straight." Van Pelt reminded them. "Maybe he's not going to tell Jane what it is he has to do before he gets whatever stuff he needs ready. Maybe he plans to tell him after."

"What does that mean for Lisbon, though?" Cho wondered aloud. "He's keeping her alive, for what?"

"I don't know." Jane admitted. "But, as long as he's keeping her alive we have to try and find her before Red John changes his mind."

-Mentalist-

Morning couldn't come soon enough for the team. They couldn't start acting irrationally or incredibly weird. If Red John still had friend in the CBI, they didn't want to tip them off. So, under the radar investigating it was. Superiors were not in the loop…well, not fully. Their official story is that they thought it was someone pretending to be Red John, hoping it would lure the killer into a sense of security and not tempt him to kill Lisbon sooner.

Jane had gone to talk to Lisbon's immediate neighbours first thing in the morning with Rigsby.

"Get anything useful?" Cho asked when Jane and Rigsby returned.

"Maybe." Jane said, making a bee-line toward Van Pelt and quietly tell her whatever other clues he had divulged from the neighbours.

"Five names." Van Pelt told him as Rigsby and Cho joined them, huddling around Van Pelt's desk. "Whoa." She muttered.

"What?" Rigsby asked.

"One of them lives two blocks away from Lisbon." Van Pelt looked up from her screen.

"Two blocks." Jane repeated. "Close enough to keep an eye, but just far enough away that he wouldn't be quickly recognised by the people on Lisbon's block."

"What's the name?" Cho asked.

"Josh Hawker."

"Suit up, guys. I'll go get the warrant." Cho headed off and it wasn't long before they were all in the van, heading out to arrest Josh Hawker.

"Anyone else feel like that was too easy?" Rigsby questioned. "I mean, the day after Lisbon goes missing and we find one of the guys? Almost seems like a trap. You know?"

"You have a point." Cho acknowledged. "But, we can't just let this guy go. We have to make sure we get as much information out of him as possible, if he has any. We go in careful."

Jane even donned a bullet-proof vest to join them in their excursion of taking Josh Hawker into custody. He followed very closely behind Van Pelt. As much as he hated guns, his impatience to know if Hawker knew anything about Lisbon's disappearance won out. He just couldn't sit around in the van and wait for them.

After they cleared the first floor, Jane followed Van Pelt up the stairs. They then cleared the second floor quickly.

"Ew." Van Pelt wrinkled her nose. "Smells kinda bad in h-" She looked around and saw the closet door of the master bedroom she and Jane were standing in was closed. "Guys!" She raised her gun, aiming it at the closed closet door-just in case-as she approached the door with Jane close behind her. Rigsby and Cho made it into the room as Van Pelt quickly opened the closet door and stepped back as the body of Josh Hawker collapsed to the floor with a soft _thud_, bullet hole in his head. He had that blank stare that most dead bodies had.

Cho tilted his head. "There's no way he has been here dead long enough to make that kind of smell. That takes a few days, it's a decently cool temperature in here."

Rigsby holstered his gun and put on some rubber gloves, peeking into the closet further. He reached in and lifted the corner of the bag before quickly standing back up and gagging slightly. "Dead rat in a bag. That's the smell."

"Gross!" Van Pelt held back her own wave of nausea.

"I'll call forensics." Cho pulled out his phone and headed into the hall to make the call.

-Mentalist-

Jane treaded heavily up to his attic. He wished that after everything that had happened today he would feel more determined and angry. But, instead, he felt more hopeless and a bit depressed. Lisbon was gone. Poof. Just carried off by Red John when Jane had stupidly turned his back. She had once told him that she needed him, but now he was starting to see that it was _him_ that needed _her_ more. He unlocked the metal door and slid it open, pausing before stepping inside at the sight of the plain white envelope that had been placed on the floor. Dreading what was inside, Jane leaned down to pick it up, quickly stepping inside and locking the door behind him. He tore clumsily into the envelope, not caring at all for the packaging, just wanting the letter it concealed.

_Dear Patrick,_

_I know that you are probably about my good friend Hawker no longer being with us. He was a very gullible minion and I was sad to see him have to leave, but it was necessary. This is a very important part of the game, Patrick. It__'__s the part that requires patience and some thought from you. I want you to write a letter to me, telling me you are sorry for slandering me on television and admitting that I am still a step ahead of you. When the time comes next week and I see that you have not written this letter to me, or it does not satisfy me, I will kill Teresa. That would be such a shame, wouldn__'__t it? She__'__s fought so hard and I went through all the trouble__…__She is quite beautiful, even bruised and injured as she is. It takes some real beauty to carry something like that off. She__'__s also more fun. She has more fire than Angela did. In case you are wondering, Teresa is doing quite well. I think it will please you to know that. Also, by next week I would like you to have a letter written to Teresa. I don__'__t know or particularly care what you say to her in this letter, but I think it would be nice for you to write her one. I promise only she will read it, though you don__'__t have to write one. It__'__s just a courtesy I thought I might extend to you. Teresa and I look forward to seeing you next week. I asked Teresa if there were something she would like me to add to this letter from her, but she seemed too excited for words so I decided to send you a gift from her. I hope you appreciate it because it was difficult for her to let that necklace go. Until next week, old friend._

_Love_

_Red John & Teresa_

Jane grabbed the envelope he had torn open and tossed to the floor, taking the time to actually look inside. Sure enough, the gold cross necklace Lisbon always wore was in there. With trembling fingers Jane pulled the beloved object out of the envelope and cradled it in his hands. His eyes stung with tears as his fingers closed around the shimmering gold of the cross pendant. He wanted to cry and scream and throw a tantrum, but he knew that wouldn't help. His mind was spinning, there was so much he wanted to do and he wasn't sure where to start. He stumbled over to his cot and sat on it to steady himself. He would have to _apologise_ the Red John. That was just backwards, but if it meant saving Lisbon's life…He'd lied to people before and made them believe it. He could do it again, right?

Once he had cleared his head a bit, he got up and started the only place he could. He looked for some paper and a pen. He had some serious letter writing to do.

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**Author's Note: The next chapter is going to be set a week later, just to let you all know. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


	4. Gone with the Serial Killer

**Author's Note: And here is chapter four. I have no idea why these updates manage to happen so quickly, but they do. This chapter is shorter than I thought it was going to be, but I still think it's a good chapter. Still appreciating all your awesome comments, follows, favourites and reviews, guys! Keep'em coming! Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter as well.**

**Disclaimer: :(**

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A week went by and the team was forced to look at other cases besides Lisbon's abduction. There was not much the team could do besides comply. If they flat out refused they could get suspended and then, what would they do? They would have less of a chance at finding Lisbon while they were all suspended.

That was how they all ended up on their way to an old, abandoned warehouse that someone reported seeing a dead body in. Of course, the witness had a powerful father and the team was called in. Jane sat in the back of the van, unhappy that his attention was ordered to be on something that wasn't finding Lisbon. The van pulled up in front of the warehouse and everyone was preparing to get out when gunshots were heard. The three agents grabbed for their bullet proof vests, pulling them on and getting out, leaving Jane in the back seat with no intention of getting out.

"Rigsby, go around and see if there's a side entrance. Van Pelt, with me." Cho ordered and Rigsby nodded before heading off. Cho and Van Pelt took the front entrance, but split off down two different hallways.

"Found the body." Rigsby said into his earpiece.

Van Pelt joined him after clearing her area. "He was shot." She observed. "You think the shooter came back and we spooked him when we showed up? Where the hell is the coroner and Sac PD, anyway?"

"We must have gotten a call before they did. This place is closer to the office than the coroner or the Sac PD offices." Rigsby shrugged.

"I guess."

"Guys." Cho said over the earpiece. "You're going to want to see this."

"Where are you?" Rigsby asked.

"Room at the end of the east hallway."

Rigsby and Van Pelt shared a look before heading to meet Cho. What was so important that Cho, of all people, would call them away from the task at hand?

"Oh, my god." Van Pelt's heart sank as she caught a glimpse of the room Cho was standing in. Blood on the walls and floor.

"There's no way this is related to the dead body in the other room." Rigsby said. "He was not injured enough for this."

"It's got nothing to do with him." Cho confirmed, turning and handing Rigsby the shirt he had in his hands.

Rigsby held it up. Some kind of jersey. Track. It was a track jersey. From a high school in Chicago.

"You can't be serious." Van Pelt pressed both her hands over her mouth, feeling like she was going to cry.

Rigsby turned the jersey to see what was printed on the back. In big block letters on the back of the jersey was the name _Lisbon_.

"The body must have something to do with her disappearance." Cho stated.

"Then why the gunshots?" Van Pelt questioned. "Why not make sure Jane saw-Jane!"

They all sprinted out of the building and back to the van.

Rigsby got there first, throwing the back door open and practically launching half his body inside. "Jane!?" But the van was empty.

"Jane!?" Van Pelt called as she walked around the van to check the area.

Cho pulled out his cell phone and called the man, but only got the answering machine. "Damn it." He hung up without leaving a message. What was the point?

Rigsby ran his hand through his hair, agitated as Van Pelt joined them again. "Shit." Rigsby muttered.

"What do we do now?" Van Pelt bit her bottom lip, trying to stay calm. Freaking out wouldn't help. "He's got Jane and Lisbon. What do we do?"

Though Cho's expression seemed the same, he was angry and he clenched his jaw. "Van Pelt. You and Rigsby go back to the office. Track down Jane's phone. Maybe we can get a trace. I'll stay here and handle the local PD and coroner. I'll call when we get an ID on the dead guy. Maybe he'll help lead us toward Red John."

-Mentalist-

"How long is it going to be before we get there?"

Red John chuckled. "Patience, Patrick. It will be a while before we get to where we're going."

Jane pursed his lips, but said nothing in reply. He wished that he wasn't blindfolded. Or tied up.

"You're not going to see her today, anyway."

"What?"

"Of course not. I haven't been able to read your letter yet. I don't know if you have earned the right to see her yet."

"Read it now." Jane said sternly.

"Tisk, tisk." Red John shook his head. "All in due time, my friend. But, I am glad you did decide to write the letter. For a moment I was worried that you might not. You'd listen to your pride and your stubbornness. Bravo, you came through. I also see you wrote one for Teresa. I'm a man of my word, Patrick. I won't read the letter meant for her." Red John placed the envelope with Lisbon's name on it in Jane's pocket. "You should hold onto that for a little while longer."

Jane shifted, trying to get more comfortable, but he knew that he wasn't going to get rid of any of his uneasiness until he saw that Lisbon was fine.

"She is well, I assure you." Red John told him. "She's even better than I thought she'd be. You'll see her tomorrow night."

"Why not tonight?"

Red John laughed. "So eager. When we get there, it will be much too late for such things. Besides, everything is going to be ready for tomorrow evening."

Jane felt very tired when he felt the van stop and the engine ceased. He didn't have the faintest idea where they were as he was hauled out of the back of the vehicle. He could hear waves crashing and smell the water. They were near the ocean. He stumbled a bit as he was ushered forward by whoever was helping Red John. Wherever they were, it seemed big with their footsteps echoing a bit off the walls.

"I'll take this now." Red John plucked the letter for Lisbon out of Jane's pocket again. "I'll make sure this gets to her once I read over the letter you wrote for me."

Jane felt the restraints on his hands fall away and then he was shoved forward. He heard the sound of a door shutting behind him and felt the _swoosh_ of air as it passed by, then the lock clicked into place. He tore the blindfold from over his eyes and was greeted with the sight of a nice bedroom, slightly larger than the average room with a small bathroom tucked into one corner. There wasn't much by the way of furnishings, just basic necessities for a bedroom, but the furniture that was there looked like it was worth a few pretty pennies. There was a window at the far end of the room that the last few rays of sunshine passed through. It seemed like it might be a pleasant place, which only scared Jane more.

-Mentalist-

Lisbon sat on the side of her bed, staring at her hands that were folded in her lap. Another day had gone by. One more day she had been captive. One more day of fruitlessly trying to find a way to escape. She wasn't sure how much more of it she'd be able to take. Her bruises were pretty much healed and so were most of her injuries, though sometimes she felt a bit sore. Other then that, she was fine. Well, aside from the whole being a captive thing. She had done her crying. Silent tears. She'd been angry and frantic and desperate and all those other things. Now she was just here. Empty. Emotionally numb, as opposed to the physically numb she had felt before. This was just as painful. She had no idea what was going on outside these four walls. She knew nothing about what was happening with her team or Jane or her family. Nothing. The room was nice and so were the clothes she'd been given. All the fragrances and soaps she had been supplied with were all those big name brands. Chanel. Prada. Celebrity perfumes. Even the white nightgown she was provided and was currently wearing was silk. A knock at the door brought her back from her thoughts. The lock clicked open and the tall and leggy blond haired woman in a nice white blouse and black dress pants that Lisbon had seen before approached her.

"This is for you." The woman said. What had she said her name was? Something with a T. Tammy? Terry? T…Talia! She had said her name was Talia.

Lisbon looked at her sceptically and then at the white envelope in her outstretched hand. After a moment, she took the envelope, muttering a thanks.

"You should get some rest. Tomorrow is a big day. I hope that letter might bring you some joy." Talia smiled, though she sounded suspicious to Lisbon. Then again, anything she said would sound suspicious to Lisbon.

"Thanks." Lisbon muttered again, waiting until Talia had left the room before focusing on the envelope given to her. She turned it over in her hands and her heart skipped a beat as she recognised the handwriting that her name was written in. The letter was from Jane? Why? How? She took a deep breath, ripping the envelope open and pulling out the letter inside.

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**Author's Note: Dun. Dun! DDUUNN! Yep. That's it for now. Whatever in the world could Red John be planning? What did Jane write to Lisbon in the letter? Next chapter you'll find out! I know you all really want to know what's in the letter, but next chapter, I promise. I felt that ending this chapter with the letter would kill some of the suspense. Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought of this chapter! :3**


	5. Everything You Wanted

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter, everyone! As usual, thank you for all your wonderful reviews, favourites and follows! I hope you enjoy it!**

**Discalimer: ...**

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Jane was woken up by a harsh knocking at his door. He wasn't sure how he had actually managed to sleep at all, but that seemed so irrelevant. He sat up as the person knocking at the door entered without Jane's consent.

"Rise and shine. You're having breakfast with Red John." The man who had just entered was broad-shouldered and well-muscled with a cleanly shaven head.

"Excuse me?" Jane blurted, very confused.

"Get showered. Get changed. You are eating breakfast with Red John." The man folded his arms impatiently.

Jane was stuck between compliance or defiance.

"Or you can piss Red John off again and get your girlfriend killed for good this time. Your choice."

Jane hurried off the bed and into the bathroom. He'd never had a faster shower in his life. "Excuse me?" Jane called through the door. "Where'd my clothes go?"

"Gone." The man called back. "He wants you to look nice for your meal. It was the same way with your girlfriend. Got a problem? Do you need some help getting dressed?"

"No, no." Jane started dressing. "I'm okay on my own, thank you." He'd hoped that Lisbon had at least gotten a nicer escort/helper.

"Turn around. Hands behind your back." The man instructed when Jane exited the bathroom.

Jane opened his mouth to protest for a moment, but complied when he got a dangerous look. He had been right in his assumption before. The place was big and that made Jane more uncomfortable. Trying to find someone in a big place is difficult. "So. You were in the military?" Jane tried to build some kind of connection between him and his escort.

The man slid him a glare. "Special Forces."

Jane gave a receptive nod and a thought hit him. _Cho_ had been in the Special Forces. "One of my friends was in the Special Forces."

"Cho. Yeah. Fierce fighter."

Jane's gut squeezed. How close was Red John able to watch them? A former comrade of Cho's, FBI agents, CBI agents? And Jane didn't know who else. He was led into a sun room that was filled with the warm rays of an early morning sun. The wall of windows overlooked a nice garden with a path and the ocean. In the centre of the room was a rectangular table, at it's head sat Red John, again concealing his face.

"Good morning, Patrick." Red John greeted cheerily. "Sit. Breakfast will be right out. I hope you like blueberry pancakes, eggs and toast."

Jane's hands were released from their bond as he was forced to sit on the chair at the opposite end of the table and had his legs shackled to the chair.

"Thank you, Ron." Red John nodded at his friend.

"You're welcome." Ron said politely with a gesture that was almost a bow before leaving.

Red John returned his attention to Jane once Ron was gone. "He lost his wife to birthing complications. And then lost his son two years later due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. It's very sad. But he is a loyal man. You understand that kind of loss, don't you, Patrick." It wasn't a question.

"Where's Lisbon?" Jane's jaw tightened. "You said she was here."

"I also told you to be patient." Red John wagged a finger at him. "Not yet. It's not time. I thought it would be nice for you and I to have a chat first. I had a lovely dinner with Teresa earlier this week. She did look very nice in that dress she wore."

"You son of a-"

"Profanities so early in the morning? Tisk, tisk, Patrick. Must be a habit you picked up from Teresa. However, she's become more compliant recently. I have to say, she was quite good company at dinner. Not a very talkative woman, but indeed a strong presence. And a vision in that dress."

Jane wanted to jump over the table and strangle the man, but he stayed where he was. He wouldn't have been able to reach either way.

A scrawny man with dark hair and round glasses brought their food before retreating back to wherever he'd come from.

"Enjoy, Patrick. And don't worry about Teresa. I've taken good care of her. She's been relaxing and getting pampered. I've made sure she'll be ready for tonight."

"What have you planned for tonight?" Jane tried to make his voice even, but didn't quite succeed.

"You're much more talkative than our dear Teresa. Don't worry, Patrick." Red John laughed lightly, pouring some syrup over his pancakes. "You'll see what happens. If you keep an open mind, you might even enjoy yourself."

-Mentalist-

Lisbon awoke the next morning when the sun shone through the big window. She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes, feeling like what had happened the evening before was a dream. However, looking at the piece of paper next to her pillow told her that it really wasn't. She had the urge to read the letter again and picked it up, handling it gently in fear that it was still a dream and moving too quickly would make it all disappear.

_Teresa,(I seriously hope you__'__re the one reading this)_

_I have started writing this letter over too many times because I don__'__t know where to start. At first, I wasn__'__t going to write one to you in fear that it wasn__'__t even going to get to you at all. But, I don__'__t know when or if I__'__ll be able to talk to you again or see you again and if this is the only shot I have, I should try and use it. I am sorry. Truly sorry. None of this is your fault and you deserve better. You deserve to be safe and cared for and I__'__m sorry that I got you mixed up in this. Yes, I know, you__'__re a cop __'__it__'__s your job to be in harms way__'__ and all that. However, you know as well as I do that this was brought on because you__'__re close to me, regardless of whether you will admit it or not. I am sorry I left that night when I came to see you. I am sorry I wasn__'__t there. I should have been. I shouldn__'__t have assumed pushing you away would stop Red John from seeing that you are really important to me, but it was the only thing I could think of. I should have known Red John would see it anyway. Because you are important to me. You__'__re the most important person in my life. I know that sometimes you question that fact, especially after Lorelei, and I haven__'__t helped that. I am sorry for that as well. But, you shouldn__'__t doubt that you are. You are. I should have owned up to my actions when I told you that I love you. I am sorry for pretending I forgot. I didn__'__t. I was angry at myself every day for pretending that I did. I meant it. I love you. I am sorry I didn__'__t tell you that properly._

_Also, that time you fell asleep on your office couch and woke up with a blanket over you, I did put that blanket there. I know not knowing bothered you a bit, but it was me. I also gave you a goodnight kiss on your forehead because I couldn__'__t help myself. None of that is really important right now, but I feel the need to let you know anyway._

_The last thing I want to let you know is that I do have your necklace and I__'__ve kept it close to me. I thought about putting it in the envelope with this letter, but if it really doesn__'__t get to you, I don__'__t want your necklace being given away to some creepy stranger. I hope to see you again so that I__'__ll be able to give it back to you._

_Yours truly,_

_Patrick Jane_

Lisbon wiped at the stream of tears that were falling down her cheeks. Even though this was her second time reading it, she felt like she did the first time. She still wasn't sure if she was more happy or saddened by the letter. She was glad to finally hear what Jane really felt and thought. And she was glad to know that her necklace was safe with him, but at the same time, she almost felt like it was all a goodbye. Like this was all that she was going to be left with. She folded the letter back up and slid it back into the envelope, placing it on the bedside table and burrowing her face into her pillow. She didn't want to give up. She didn't want to surrender, but it was all looking so hopeless. All she could do was calm herself down enough to eat the breakfast she was brought.

-Mentalist-

In the mid-afternoon, Talia visited Lisbon again, seeming very excited. She insisted that Lisbon take a quick shower and get ready. For what Lisbon was getting ready for, she didn't know. Talia refused to tell her, just insisting on preparation.

After Lisbon was done her shower, she slipped into the bath robe that hung on the back of the door. What else was she to do? The only clothes for her to wear were the ones Red John and his creepy friends had provided for her. If none of that was weird enough, everything was her size. How closely was Red John stalking her? This was insane! The only time she'd been out of her room was right after she was able to fully move and Red John wanted to have dinner with her. Other than that, everything was brought to her. Just like now.

"Teresa? You going to come out now? We have lots to do." Talia called through the door.

Lisbon glared at the woman through the barrier. She always talked like they were friends. They weren't. Especially now. Talia was talking like they were two best friends about to go out and hit the town on a Saturday night. Not in a million years. Though, she reluctantly opened the door and stepped out. The bathroom door had no lock to hide behind and the first time she had refused to go along with their plans and get changed, they'd threatened to knock her out with anaesthetics and proceed with her being unconscious. Needless to say, she had opted for consciousness.

"This way. Hair first. Then make up. Then we get you dressed." Talia ushered Lisbon toward the vanity.

"Why?" Lisbon asked, trying not to sound as irritated as she was.

"You'll see."

"_Why_?" Lisbon ground out.

"Don't get angry." Talia sounded annoyed. "You should be grateful. Are you going to be difficult again? Do I have to call Dr. Huntington? I will do that, Teresa, if I have to."

Lisbon pursed her lips angrily.

"Honestly." Talia reached for a hairbrush. "You're just too stubborn and irritable. I try to help you look your best for when you see Patrick tonight and you repay me by being difficult!"

Lisbon whipped her head around. "What? What happened to Jane? What did you do to him?"

"I did nothing. He's fine. God, Teresa. You're also _way_ too uptight." Talia placed her hand on Lisbon's head and made her look forward, their gazes meeting in the mirror.

"Why are you all doing this?" Lisbon felt her chest tighten. "What's the point?"

Talia brushed Lisbon's hair. "It's obvious, isn't it? You two are going to get everything you could have ever wanted and more. Wish I'd been that lucky."

Lisbon's lips parted slightly and her brows knit together in confusion. "I don't understand. What is supposed to happen tonight? Why does Jane have to be here?"

"Just be patient a little while longer, Teresa. You'll understand when you are meant to understand. And when you do, when you get to make your choice, you'll know what it feels like to truly have control."

"None of this makes any sense. What do you all want? What does Red John want? He has me, what does he need Jane for? Why hasn't he just killed me?" Lisbon fought the urge to cry that was bubbling up inside her. Not now. Not in front of Talia. "Convince him to let Jane go. I'll stay here, I swear, just let him go. Don't let Red John hurt Jane or my team and I swear I'll stay. I'll stay here forever. Just leave them out of it."

"Oh, Teresa." Talia gave her a sad smile as she rubbed her arm. "That's not what this is about at all. The rest of your team is safe for now. They don't matter at the moment. You still don't see it, do you? This isn't about you or Patrick. This is about you _and_ Patrick. We couldn't just let him go. Then there would be no point in everything that was planned for tonight. And we all did work so hard for tonight, Teresa. Look at you. You healed and got better. And all the other things you didn't see. We couldn't just cancel everything and let Patrick leave."

"Why?" Lisbon's voice broke slightly. "Why this for me and Patrick?"

"I told you. Because you're getting everything you want."

"No." Lisbon shook her head. "I _don__'__t_ want this."

"Of course you do." Talia returned to brushing Lisbon's hair. "You wanted him to be honest with you. Open up to you and tell you what he was thinking and what he feels. That's why he was told her could write you a letter. So you could have that. He wanted to tell you how he really felt, but held back. Now he sees that he has no choice, so he might as well tell you. That's what he wanted. You've wondered what it would be like for him to look at you and see you. _Truly_ see you. Not just as his friend or colleague, but as a _woman_. The beautiful woman you always wished you were, but didn't usually allow yourself to feel that way. You're going to get that. This is about everything you two have wanted. Everything you wished for is going to happen tonight. Like Cinderella. Hmm…maybe more like Sleeping Beauty. You were bed-ridden for a little while, so Sleeping Beauty makes more sense."

"I don't want to be a princess. Make this stop."

"You're not a princess tonight. You're a woman. And you'll be treated like a woman by the man you love, for once. You can't honestly tell me that's not something you've always wanted. Everything is going to be okay."

Lisbon could not honestly deny that being treated like a loved woman was something she'd never wanted, so said nothing. Talia's words worried her, though. When Red John or one of his friends told you that everything was going to be okay, you could rest assured that everything was most definitely _not_ going to be okay.

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**Author's Note: See? I kept my pormise :). You all got to see the letter in this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed, please leave a review and let me know what you thought.**


	6. Seeing Red

**Author's Note: Sorry for the longer wait for this update. I just had some things going on these past few days and havent been very productive in my writing. But, I'm finally finished this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks to everyone for reviewing, favouriting and following! Glad you all like it so far!**

**Disclaimer: "*sniffles***

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Jane stood in the doorway, feeling very uncomfortable. This wasn't the first time he'd worn a suit and it's not that the suit was the wrong size because it fit perfectly. The company he kept was what made him uncomfortable. The big foyer was filled with guests, men all wearing the same out fit of a black suit and red tie-almost uniform looking-and the women in dark red dresses. Jane hadn't been able to force himself more than two steps past the door, uneasy about everyone in the room. He didn't know them.

Ron stood beside him, like a big statue, to make sure Jane didn't run off. Of course, every guest seemed to eye him as they passed, like they were measuring him up. Was he going to run? Maybe lash out? Jane had no doubt they were all going to jump on him if he tried anything in the way of escape. There's no way Red John would let him just wander around, unless he was sure Jane wouldn't get anywhere.

"Is she coming?" Jane asked, getting antsy. "Why all this if Lisbon isn't here?"

"I don't know." Ron didn't even bother looking at him, staring straight ahead as he was before Jane had spoken. "My order is to watch you until I'm told I can walk away. Not that you would understand the concept of how to follow an order. I also don't really care why all this or if she shows up."

Jane held back the venomous retort that formed on his tongue, knowing that it would only make things worse.

"Ron?" Jane and Ron turned to see a blond woman in a short red dress that showed off her long legs approaching them, pulling someone behind her. "You can go." She smiled. "You can go mingle now. Things just need to work themselves out now."

Ron nodded, muttered a thanks and left.

The woman turned to the person behind her and in a playful tone said, "Have fun lovebird." Before stepping away and melting into the crowd, leaving Lisbon and Jane to awkwardly stare at each other, neither believing that the other was actually standing in front of them.

Lisbon's dark red painted lips fell open slightly and moved like she was trying to say something, but no words came out. "Jane." She finally managed to choke out.

Jane took a tentative step towards her, looking her over. Her long hair worn down and straight, smoky eye makeup and red lips that was paired with a dark red dress with thick straps, deep V-neck and some strappy black and red heels…he could hardly believe it was actually her. He reached out a hand and his fingers gently grazed her cheek, making sure she was really there and he hadn't just gone mad. "Teresa." He breathed, pulling Lisbon into a fierce hug.

At first, Lisbon was surprised at his sudden movement, but returned the hug just as fiercely. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Jane nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. "I'm fine. I'm so glad to see you're okay. I thought I'd lost you."

"What are you doing here? How did they-?" But Lisbon was cut off by a clapping noise and silence from the crowd.

Red John's voice projected throughout the room. "Now that you've all had a chance to talk, why don't we all sit down for dinner?"

The crowd began to file through an open door, but Jane and Lisbon hesitated.

"Maybe we should follow them." Lisbon whispered to Jane, glancing around at some of the crowd near them that hadn't moved and were staring at them expectantly. Very creepy.

"Yeah." Jane agreed, wrapping an arm around Lisbon's waist to hold her securely to his side as they followed the crowd of people into the dining room. It was just as big and lavish as the rest of the building that they'd seen. A nameless guest ushered them toward a table set for two that was currently unoccupied. Most of the tables set around the room were for pairs, though a few had been set for four. They were all set around a dance floor in the centre of the room. The table they'd got was tucked against the wall and decorated like all the other tables. A beautiful, white table cloth covered the table with matching seat covers, a thick red candle in the middle of the table that had been lit with red roses surrounding the base and gold-rimmed china for them to eat off of. The nameless guest left after directing them to their table, leaving them to sit down.

Jane went and pulled out a chair for Lisbon, who raised a brow at him. He made a sweeping gesture with his hand for her to sit and, rolling her eyes, Lisbon complied. Jane pushed her chair in once she was seated and headed to sit in the one across the small table from her.

Lisbon took a nervous breath, glancing around at all the other guests before meeting Jane's gaze. "How did they get you here? What happened?"

"Yesterday the team went into this warehouse to get this guy with a gun and Red John and his friend found me in the van." Jane answered, gaze unwavering from hers.

"What do you mean 'they found you in the van'?"

"They showed me a picture of you and told me to get out of the van."

"…And you _got out_ of the van!?" Lisbon whispered in a low hiss. "Are you insane!? What the hell is your problem!? They could have killed you! Why would you do something so…_stupid_!? Do you have any id-"

"They had _you_." Jane cut her off. "What did you expect me to do? Refuse to get out of the van so that they would just come back here and kill you? Turn down the opportunity to see you?"

"_Yes_. What about the rest of the team? They're probably freaking out right now. My god, you're horrible."

"The rest of the team wasn't nearly killed by a serial killer, then healed and held captive for over a week."

"That's not the point."

"No. It's not." Jane agreed. "The point is that there's no way I was going to leave you here and not go with them. You didn't even get my letter, did you? You don't even understand-"

"No. I got your letter." Lisbon shook her head and looked down at her plate, blushing.

"You did?" Jane couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth, accompanied by a small fluttering in his stomach.

Lisbon just gave a few quick nods.

Just then a server came and placed their dinner on the plates in front of them. They mumbled their thanks as he left to serve some other guests. They both picked up their cutlery and began to eat silently, unsure of where to take the conversation from there, which was odd considering that Jane was almost never speechless.

"The team really misses you." Jane finally spoke after washing down his last mouthful of dinner with some of the fancy wine they'd been served.

Lisbon looked at him shyly. "But they're okay, right?"

Jane nodded. "Cho's got everything under control. They'll find us soon, I'm sure."

Somehow that didn't convince Lisbon enough to stop her from being uneasy. "Jane, I…"

Jane watched her for a moment as she debated with herself on how to proceed. Another server came to replace their dirty meal plates with a little plate of red velvet cake for each of them.

Lisbon's glossy red lips pursed together as she looked down at the dessert. She was not amused. "I can never look at this dessert the same way again. Isn't this overdoing it? Red John. We get it. Red."

"I guess it's just an obsession for him." Jane shrugged it off. "What were you saying before?"

"I just…I wanted to say that I accept your apologies. And tell you that your letter was touching. Thank you." Her blush darkened.

Another smile played on Jane's lips as he reached across the table and placed his hand over Lisbon's. "You're welcome. Anything for you, Teresa."

A slight smile graced Lisbon's lips at Jane's words. "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me." Jane reluctantly removed his hand from Lisbon's and took a bite of his cake. "At least the cake tastes nice."

Lisbon took a small bite, trying to remain impassive toward the tasty treat. She just grunted her agreement.

"Oh, _that_ good?" Jane teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Shut up." A corner of Lisbon's mouth turned upward.

"And, I feel I should tell you, Teresa. You look-"

Lisbon shook her head. "Please, don't tell me I look nice. I know you mean well, but this is weird. It's really creepy and it doesn't feel right."

"Fair enough." Jane nodded.

"How are you two doing?"

Lisbon and Jane both jumped when Red John, wearing an elaborate mask, appeared beside their table.

"Fine." Jane replied. "We're fine…thanks."

Lisbon just nodded. "Fine."

"I'm glad to hear that. Enjoy the food?"

Jane and Lisbon nodded again.

"Well, the dance floor will be open soon. You should both get out there." And then, Red John left them.

Lisbon pushed her dessert away, half eaten. Suddenly it tasted bitter in her mouth.

Jane reached out and caught her hand with his again, making her look at him. "It's going to be okay." He told her, desperately hoping he was right. "We're going to find a way out."

She just looked at him, not replying.

"We're not going to let him win. We'll get through this."

Lisbon squeezed his hand. "You're right."

Not long after the servers had cleared everyone's dinner dishes, some soft music began to play and the guests made their way to the dance floor. Jane and Lisbon hesitated for a moment before joining them. If Red John wanted them on the dance floor, being on the dance floor was probably their safest bet. They had ignored their feelings for one and other, against the secret wishes of Red John, and look where that had landed them. Jane took Lisbon's hand, helping her up and leading her to the dance floor. They found an empty spot, though neither of them were very excited to be on the dance floor. They faced each other and stepped closer, Jane's arm wrapping around her waist while his other hand held hers. Her free arm wrapped around his shoulder as they pressed against each other.

Jane closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against hers as they swayed to the soft music that was playing. He could almost take himself back to when they had first danced at that high school reunion after solving a case all those years ago. It felt like even longer now. She had fit against him the exact same way, radiating that same strength and comfort she had before. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Do you want your necklace back now?"

"I don't know if he'll just take it away again. He wants to control everything and I don't know if he'll let me wear it or take it from me again. And if it gets taken a second time, I don't think I'm getting it back."

"I understand. I just thought it might bring you some comfort to have it, so I should offer."

Lisbon didn't say anything in response.

"I have it with me right now, if you want to see it."

Lisbon pulled her head back so she could look him in the eye, surprised.

"If you remember my letter, I did tell you I was keeping it close. I wasn't going to leave it lying around for someone else to pick up. It's far too valuable to me for that." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It's in my left inside jacket pocket."

Lisbon moved her hand from his shoulder to dip inside the pocket he had mentioned, pulling out the gold chain and cross. "What's this?" Lisbon looked at the gold ring linked onto the chain in addition to her cross.

"Oh." Jane remembered. "Some passive comments were made toward my ring by Red John and I was worried he'd take it. That's the only way I could think of not losing either of them. I'll take it off-"

"It's fine." Lisbon shook her head. returning the necklace to Jane's pocket and her arm over his shoulder.

"Teresa-"

"I'm _fine_." She insisted unconvincingly.

Jane took a small step back to look at her.

"What?"

"Come on." Jane told her quietly, tilting his head back toward their table.

"No. Why?" Lisbon crossed her arms. "We're fine here."

Jane could feel the eyes of the other guests around them who weren't exactly staring, but were very much paying attention. "Please. This isn't the place."

Lisbon glanced around at the other guests and shifted self-consciously under their attention. Looking down at the floor, she nodded and followed Jane back to their table, his hand placed against her lower back.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked, facing her when they were standing next to their table, alone.

"I told you, I'm fine." Lisbon continued to insist.

"No." Jane shook his head. "No, something upset you just now. Your necklace."

Lisbon shook her head, but couldn't bring herself to return Jane's gaze.

"Look at me."

Lisbon didn't oblige.

Jane cupped her face with both his hands, forcing her to look at him. "I didn't mean to upset you, Teresa. I didn't want to lose either of them and that's the only way to be sure they wouldn't get separated. I didn't mean anything by it. You're not a replacement for anyone. You're not a second best for anything." Jane removed his hands from her face. One hand reached down to take one of hers and the other retrieved the necklace from his pocket, ring still attached. He placed the necklace in her palm and gently closed her fingers around it. "I love you, Teresa. This isn't how I had ever wanted to tell you that. I had always imagined it being after we got Red John, so you'd be safer, but I have the opportunity to tell you properly now."

"Don't treat this like a goodbye, Patrick." Lisbon whispered hoarsely. "It's not."

"No." Jane agreed. "It's not a goodbye. That's not what I mean at all. I've put this off long enough and I'm not going to stand here and waste the precious time we have right now. We should have talked about this a long time ago and I know you never pushed me because you knew I was grieving. You're a respectful person, it's one of the many things I love about you. You've always been honest with me when it really mattered, so I'm going to be very honest with you. I do miss them. Every day. I can't ever pretend what happened to them never happened, and I know you wouldn't ask me to. But, you still mean the world to me. I love them, and I love you, too. I know I don't deserve you and that I've hurt you. Why you've decided to stay with me for so long, I don't know. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate it, though. I trust you with my life and I place you before my revenge, even though it doesn't always seem that way. I've just been too stubborn and foolish to tell you, telling myself to wait for the right moment. And I always thought that'd be after Red John was dead, but now I know it's not the moment I tell you that's important. What's important is that you know at all. You know that right? You _really_ know that I love you?" He ran the pad of his thumb over the knuckles of her fingers that were closed around the necklace.

With watery eyes, Lisbon nodded. "I love you, too, Patrick."

Jane lifted one of his hands to tuck some hair behind her ear, running his thumb over her cheekbone. He leaned forward, his other hand still holding hers, and placed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss. When they parted a moment later, Jane decided that wasn't good enough, one hand sliding into her hair to pull her closer for a deeper kiss and she complied by leaning into him. "I really shouldn't have waited to do that." Jane breathed when they broke apart again.

Lisbon bit her bottom lip, shyly.

"Very nicely done, Patrick." Red John's voice made them both jump and turn to see him sitting on a nearby table. They'd been so wrapped up in their conversation that they hadn't noticed him approaching. "It was a beautiful admission of love. And the confession of everything else, perfect."

Lisbon turned to face the serial killer, lips pursed and ready for some kind of attack. Jane surprised her by stepping in front of her slightly, so he was between her and Red John.

"You satisfied now, then?" Jane spat. "Is your twisted little game over?"

Red John laughed. "I am satisfied by your confessions, but don't get ahead of yourself, Patrick. The best part of the game is just starting."

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**Author's Note: What's the 'best part of the game'? Keep reading and find out! Sorry again for the longer wait this chapter. Hopefully the next one will be up quicker. Let me know what you thought of this chapter in a review! :3**


	7. Ready, Set, RUN!

**Author's Note: Hello again, everyone! Here's the newest chapter! I'm sorry it's a little shorter than the last few chapters, but I hope that you still enjoy it. The end of this chapter is a little intense, I think. Just so no one can say I didn't warn you. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: :(**

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Jane grabbed Lisbon's wrist, making sure she was still there and preparing to have to pull her out of harms way. What did that mean, 'the best part of the game'? What else did Red John want? He saw movement out of the corner of his left eye and looked over to see Ron walking calmly over to them. Odd, he wasn't running or charging at them.

"Move aside." Ron sounded bored.

Jane shook his head, angrily.

"Fine." Ron shrugged and tried to shove Jane to the side in order to grab Lisbon.

Jane did his best to resist being shoved out of the way, but Ron was quite strong.

Lisbon stepped around Jane and kicked Ron in the leg with her heel and then shoved Jane in the direction of the door. "Run."

Still holding Lisbon's wrist, Jane hurried in the direction she'd decided on, heart racing with other guests running at them. They barely made it past the group that tried to tackle them and out the door.

"You can run faster than that!" Jane said, glancing back at her.

"Yeah, well next time, _you_ can wear the heels!" She hissed. "Just keep go-AH!" Lisbon fell, stopping Jane from running.

Jane turned to help her up and his throat went dry when he saw why she had fallen. Another male guest had grabbed the flailing fabric of the bottom of Lisbon dress.

"Run, Jane!" Lisbon struggled to get up, swatting at the stranger that had stopped her, but the man didn't move.

Jane kicked the man's rib cage as he reach to grab Lisbon's arm. He cried out in pain as Jane's foot made contact with the sensitive spot and jerked backwards, but not enough to release Lisbon's dress from his weight.

"Damn it, Jane! Go! _Patrick_! Go now!"

Jane kicked the man again, rolling him backwards and off of Lisbon's dress before quickly helping her up. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to run much further before the rest of the guests had gotten a hold of them.

Lisbon struggled against the hand that grabbed her forearm and Jane grabbed for her, wrapping his arms around her tightly, protectively. They were being surrounded and it made them both feel a little claustrophobic. Lisbon pulled her arm free of the anonymous hand to hold on to Jane in return. Jane clung to her with all his strength. He'd just told her everything! He couldn't let her go now!

"Hold them still." Red John commanded, making his way through the crowd and the forceful pulling stopped, only to be replaced by a forceful hold. "Did you really think that was going to work, Patrick? You and Teresa were so smart in playing along all this time. And now you've just messed things up for yourselves. If you had just continued to play along, this would have gone so much easier." He sighed, disappointedly, and shook his head. "Oh, well. I prepared for this way, too." Quickly he jammed the needle he was carrying into Jane's arm and injected him with it's contents.

Jane tried to move away, but was stopped by the hold of the other guests.

"You see, Patrick. My friends here are waiting for the show." Jane was suddenly starting to feel groggy and tired. "They wanted to watch and see how our game goes. It's going to be a very fun game, I promise you that. If you had just continued to listen to me, this would have all happened much more pleasantly."

Jane felt himself slowly slipping out of consciousness and the grip he tried to keep on Lisbon was slowly fading away. The people behind him tried to pull him from her, but she still held tightly to him.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear. "I'm so sorry." The edges of his vision were darkening, fighting it wasn't working for him.

"Don't let go." Lisbon whispered back. "Please, Patrick. Don't let go." The crowd began to pull them apart again. "No!" Lisbon yelled, kicking back at them, but didn't win. She was far too largely outnumbered. Jane was pulled from her grasp and she was restrained. "No!"

-Mentalist-

Lisbon was hit by the bedroom door when it opened and Talia walked in.

"So I see you've stopped your screaming and uncalled for assault on the door." Talia looked down at Lisbon, who had sat up against the wall. "You done now?" She was no longer dressed in her party clothes., now wearing jeans and a t-shirt and carrying some black fabric in her hands.

Lisbon just glared up at her.

"I'll take that as a maybe. I've never met some more ungrateful than you, you know that? You and Patrick got everything you both had wanted tonight, and in return, all Red John wanted was for you two to follow some simple instructions. Play his game. But, no. You and Patrick decided to try to kill everyone and run off. Taking is the easy part, but giving-that's where you get all confused, isn't it. You actually hurt Ron, you selfish little bitch. You don't even care."

"If Red John had minded his own business, none of this would have happened." Lisbon growled.

"You and Patrick _are_ his business. What the hell is wrong with you? We were all there to keep you two from doing something stupid. I guess Red John was right. You both really did try to get away. I thought you'd both be smart enough to not try anything when you were so outnumbered. Obviously, I was wrong. Because of you one of my favourite dresses and pair of heels are ruined, my friends are all bruised and I'm not even going to be able to sleep because I'm too enraged and wound up. Thanks a lot."

"Those were your friends?" Lisbon said flatly. "I'm sorry."

Talia backhanded Lisbon across the face as hard as she could. "I swear, you _will_ be sorry."

Lisbon tackled Talia to the ground in retaliation, making her drop what she'd been holding.

Talia rolled so that Lisbon was under her and pressed a knife against Lisbon's throat that she'd been hiding in the back pocket of her jeans. "I swear, I'll kill you and leave Patrick with your dead body in a room to die while you rot in front of him."

Lisbon stopped struggling.

"That's what I thought." Talia got up and slid the knife back into her pocket. "Put those on." She gestured to the dropped fabric that lay scattered on the floor. "The game starts at first light tomorrow. I hope you both die. Have fun." With that, she left, slamming the door behind her.

-Mentalist-

Jane woke up slowly. He evaluated his state. No pain. No apparent injuries. Then, he moved on to take in his surroundings. Dirt. Everywhere. The ground, the walls and the ceiling. A tunnel? What the hell was going on? The place was lit with small lamps burrowed into the walls.

"Good morning, Patrick." Red John cheerily greeted over the nearby speaker, making Jane jump slightly. "And what a nice morning it is. Are you as excited as I am? I doubt it. I'm very excited. This little showdown has been years in the making, I'm sure you'll agree."

"What is this?"

"This is the game. Before we begin, I should tell you the rules. You will go through the underground course and at the end there will be a mental challenge. If you complete both, you will make it above ground. Once above ground, you will be brought to me so that we can conclude the game."

Jane began to stand.

"Oh, and one more thing, Patrick. Every time you fail at something and have to try again, Teresa will have to take a shot of whatever alcohol I decide to give her and a slash from my knife. You give up, I kill her. You die, I keep her. If _she_ dies, I'll let you go. You can even take her body with you."

"Why are you doing this!?" Patrick yelled. "Why make us go to that party and make us confess our feelings if you're just going to pull us apart!?"

"Because it's more fun this way, of course. It's like Jenga. You build something up to slowly pull away the blocks and watch it fall. I know you've played Jenga before, Patrick. You used to enjoy it quite a bit. So, this is kind of like…emotional Jenga. Have fun. Me, Teresa and all my friends that you both injured and inconvenienced last night will be watching. I'm sure Teresa will be rooting for you."

-Mentalist-

Red John put down the walkie-talkie connected to the tunnel speakers when he was finished speaking with Jane. "I'm sorry, my dear, Teresa." He removed the gag he'd tied around Lisbon's mouth. "I didn't want to gag you, but I couldn't have you interrupting our conversation. Try to relax and just enjoy the show for now."

"Stop this." Lisbon pleaded as she struggled against her restraints in the sturdy chair. "Stop it. I'll stay with you, I swear I'll stay with you. Just stop this. You have to stop."

"Ssshhh…" Red John tucked some hair behind her ear. "Things haven't even started yet. We can't simply stop the fun before it even begins. Give Patrick a chance. He might just surprise us all and make it through the challenges. The way I see it, you have the easier position here. All you really have to do is watch and have a drink. You enjoy having a drink, don't you, Teresa? Your father did. He liked drinking _a lot_, didn't he?" Red John glanced back at the television showing Jane running for the first obstacle and grinned. He'd waited a long time for this.

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**Author's Note: And the game has begun! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know your thoughts in a review. More soon. :3**


	8. The Game's Afoot

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Sorry for the gap between last chapter and this one. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you all seemed to enjoy the other chapters. We're getting to the last few chapters now! I'm thinking maybe two or three more and that will be it. Thank you all for your reviews, favourites and follows!**

**Disclaimer: The Mentalist isn't mine.**

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Lisbon held her breath as she watched Jane run at the climbing wall. It wasn't very tall, raised just a few inches over his head. He grabbed the handles and tried to get footing on the lower ones, but his foot slipped out from under him, catching him off-guard and ended with him on the ground.

"That wasn't very observant of him, now was it, Teresa?" Red John picked up his knife. "You think he would have noticed the oil that was on the lower handles. Oh, well." He sliced a shallow gash across Lisbon's forearm with his knife and she gritted her teeth against the yelp that formed in her throat.

It stung, but it wouldn't kill her and she hoped that it stopped bleeding quickly.

"Now, open up." Red John held a shot glass up to her mouth.

Lisbon didn't open her mouth.

"Teresa, dear. You have two options. You can open your mouth willingly and take the shot, or I cut your mouth open and _make_ you take the shot. Your choice."

Reluctantly, Lisbon opened her mouth and Red John poured the liquid in. Red John held his hand over her mouth, waiting for her to swallow and after a moment, she did.

"That's a good girl." Red John ran his thumb gently over Lisbon's cheek. "Isn't this fun?"

-Mentalist-

Jane was panting heavily and had a sore arm by the time he got to the fourth obstacle. He looked down at the pit in front of him. It wasn't huge, just deep enough to be a problem getting out of and just wide enough that he couldn't jump across it. Damn. There was a very skinny ledge of dirt to his right and a rope suspended from the top of the tunnel. Which was the safer bet? The rope might not be secured properly and the ledge could be weak. Maybe they were both unsafe and that was the whole point. So he'd fail either way. He decided that the ledge was probably his safer bet and stumbled over to it. He pressed his back against the wall of the tunnel and inched out onto the ledge. Jane tried to keep his breathing calm and stop his body from shaking so much as he made his way over the ledge. Almost there. He was so-no! The ledge crumbled under his feet and he fell the few feet into the bottom of the pit. Jane scrambled up into a sitting position, lifting his head to look at the pit walls that seemed to tower above him.

"Damn it!" Jane growled. He stood and examined the walls. He knew that every failed attempt at getting out of here was just one more injury on Lisbon. He had to succeed in getting out of here the first time. There was no way for him to pull himself out of there. He didn't have the strength and the walls were too high for that anyway. The dirt wasn't sturdy enough to make a ladder out of it to climb out. The rope was out of reach…Jane looked around the rectangular pit, starting to feel a bit panicked.

"Oh, Patrick. We're waiting. What are you going to do?" Red John said over the speakers in a sing-song voice.

Jane's eyes landed on the corner where the ledge had caved on him. That was it. He staggered over to the corner, reaching up and taking hold of the top edge of the pit and placed one foot on each wall that connected to make the corner. He pressed hard against the walls with his feet to hold himself in place, then braced his arms when he moved his feet a bit higher. The cycle repeated until he was able to haul himself out of the pit, rolling over on his back and allowing himself a few minutes to relax, his sore shoulder now throbbing with pain. Panting, Jane forced himself to get up and continue through this little piece of Hell until he was free. It was the only option he had.

His next obstacle was to wade through a big, mud-filled tub, which turned out to be a more daunting task than it had originally seemed. Getting out on the other side, Jane found that it had just sucked his energy right out of him and the mud that still clung to him weighted him down even more. At this point, he was questioning if he was even going to make it to the end.

Next, Jane was faced with the task of making is way through a jumble of metal rods that blocked his path. At first it had just seemed like a wall of them, but there were gaps between them that Jane had to slink his way through. Under the first one, squeezing between two more and after that he blindly made his way through empty spaces. At some point the began to feel claustrophobic and panic was really starting to set in. Not for the first time, his eyes stung with tears and he could barely see where he was going. Blindly, he reached out to find a space for him to crawl through and pushed forward and he fell, hitting the ground with a heavy _thud_. Jane blinked a few times to clear his vision as he looked up. He saw a wall of dirt with a latched doorway. This was…this was it! He'd made it to the end of the tunnel! His heart leapt with happiness that was doused when Red John's voice came over the speakers again.

"Congratulations, Patrick. I'm very impressed. To be perfectly honest, I didn't think you'd make it this far. You exceeded my expectations. But the game isn't over yet. Buried to the right of the door are four oxygen tanks with keys attached to them." As Red John spoke, a hissing noise began like there was air leaking from a ball…or gas being pumped into the tunnel. "One oxygen tank will actually have oxygen in it and the attached key will open the door. The other three have poisonous gases in them that will kill you if you pick one of them. If you succeed, two of my friends will escort you here where the final decision will be made. I think you'll find that the place I chose for our final meeting will be to your taste. I so very hope you like it. You have five minutes. Hurry, Patrick. Teresa is getting antsy and running out of time."

Jane began ripping through the dirt to the right of the door, looking for the tanks. They proved difficult to pull out of the dirt, but he managed to get it done. He looked down at all four, trying to figure out which was the oxygen tank and which ones were poison tanks. Each tank had something written on it: _Rosalyn Harker_, _Tyger Tyger_, _Girl Lost_ and _Angela_. Jane gaped at the four tanks for a moment, finding it harder to breath and his heart beating so fast he thought it might explode. Which was the right tank? Red John was big on things having meaning and significance. Making sure things were all connected. Probably the tank with the name that held the most significance, then…but which did Red John consider to have the most significance?

_Rosalyn Harker_: The woman Jane had met that Red John enjoyed visiting.

_Tyger Tyger_: The name of the first poem Red John had ever quoted to him. The poem that Todd Johnson had also quoted to him before his death.

_Girl Lost_: That one confused Jane slightly. Was it supposed to be "_Little_ Girl Lost", the title of the poem that Red John left for Jane at Lisbon's apartment? Or was it really just "Girl Lost", in which case, Jane didn't see how it was very significant.

_Angela_: The name of his dead wife. The whole reason he had been working to catch Red John in the first place. For her death and the death of Charlotte.

Jane shook his head. He couldn't dwell on that right now. The clock was ticking and he had to start eliminating some of these. "Okay." He mumbled to himself. "Who has the least significance…?" He ran his gaze over the tanks. Rosalyn. He could eliminate her. She held the least weight in this situation. He shoved the tank away from the group. _Tyger Tyger_, _Angela _and _Girl Lost_ remained.

"Two minutes left, Patrick." Red John informed him.

Which was the next one for him to eliminate? Was Angela significant to his current dilemma? Of course, Angela was important to him and her and Charlotte's deaths were part of what started his whole battle with Red John, but was she really a factor in _this_ problem? To _this_ exact situation? Tyger Tyger was, in a way, Red John's motto. Jane had come to a point where he automatically associated the poem with Red John. But Red John had said this was about him and Lisbon. Girl Lost was still a little unclear as to what it meant. Whether Red John had left it at that for a reason to confuse him, or if it meant something else entirely.

Jane reached out and shoved _Tyger Tyger _away. That tank wouldn't make any sense if this was about himself and Lisbon. That left _Angela_ and _Girl Lost_. Jane looked between the two. Angela was a part of his past and his heart. She was significant to him and, therefore, to the whole situation. Girl Lost was still a bit of a question mark, but maybe that's why he should pick it. It was the most likely significant to the entire situation and it was a trick option with it's lack of clarity. He'd never get straight-forward multiple choice options. He grabbed the mask for Girl Lost and grabbed the key. He knew he'd chosen the right one when he inhaled the pure oxygen instead of the polluted air of the tunnel. Jane then grabbed the key and then scrambled to unlock the door with a shaking hand. He stumbled outside as the door opened just in time. He lay face down in the dirt panting with tears of relief streaming from his eyes. He'd made it. He barely registered the sound of the ocean waves and the feel of cool air on his face.

Strong hands flipped Jane over to his back, but he didn't have the strength to fight it. Something was injected into his arm and after a moment, his lungs began to feel better. Probably some kind of antidote to the chemical he'd inhaled in the tunnel. Jane was sat up, two big men flanking his sides and they put one of his arms over both their shoulders. They lifted him and began to walk him away from the tunnel.

In the evening light Jane could see the ocean. There were some white steps with a little sitting area platform and a canopy hanging over it for shade. This all seemed familiar. Why? Where was he? He was carried up some steps, away from the ocean and Jane realised where he was. He was at his house. The one he had lived in with Charlotte and Angela. When he'd first bought the house, it had seemed so cheerful, homey and inviting. Now, it loomed before him like a bad omen and a promise of something horrible yet to come. His heart squeezed as he was pulled through the sliding back door and up the stairs, past all of Red John's friends who had clustered together on the main floor around TV's and stared at him as he passed. Once in the second floor hallway he was placed on his feet, legs feeling weak and shaky. He was ushered forward and forced to do a second walk of shame all the way to the closed door at the end of the hall. His entire body shaking, Jane opened the door.

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**Author's Note: *Gasp!* What's Jane going to find on the other side of the door? Find out next chapter! Also, you will all see who I decided to make Red John in this little fic. And before you all start to think it's one of the people on the list that the show has provided, it's not. I just decided it would be more fun to play around with an idea. The show can decide who Red John is. I'm going to come up with crack-pot theories that may or may not make sense. Thanks for reading and see you at the next chapter! :3**


	9. Her Decision

**Author's Note: Here's chapter nine! I hope you all enjoy. This chapter is a bit shorter than the last one, but it's pretty intense. Thanks to everyone for your favourites, follows and reviews! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: ...**

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The door creaked open slowly, but at the same time all too fast because Jane was dreading the sight he would behold when it was out of the way. First, he saw the smiley face on the wall, just like the night he had found Charlotte and Angela's bodies. As to door opened further, Jane wanted to yell. Red John was standing in the middle of the room, Lisbon standing in front of him and so badly injured she could barely stand. The arm Red John used to hold her back was the only thing keeping her upright.

"Well, Patrick. Congratulations. It seems you figured out my little puzzle, bravo. And I'm so glad you could join us for Teresa's final decision."

Jane's chest felt tight. Like it refused to expand so that he could breathe. He focused on Lisbon. She had cuts and bruises everywhere and Jane was furious. When had punches been part of the deal? How dare he! Lisbon could barely keep her head up and her breathing seemed very laboured, face contorted in pain and her eyes closed. He tried to take a step forward, but one of the muscular men that had ushered him down the hall grabbed his arm to hold him back.

Red John chuckled. "Of course, I'm sure you're very curious to know who I am. Aren't you, Patrick? I knew you'd never be smart enough to figure it out, even though it was always so obvious who you should have suspected. But, I'm not surprised you didn't recognise me when we met after all those years. I had a lot of work done and I did damage my voice a bit. See, your biggest mistake was thinking that you could leave your past in the carnival and that it would never affect you again. And that's why you never could figure it out."

Jane just stared at Red John. What was he talking about? What about the carnival had he missed? What had he been overlooking?

"You're still confused?" Red John laughed, mockingly. "You really are stupider than I thought you were. Jonathan Jane ring a bell, Patrick?" Red John carefully removed his mask with his hand that had been holding the knife to Lisbon's throat. Tossing the mask to the side, the knife was returned to Lisbon's throat. "The answer was staring you in the face the _entire_ time and you were so blind. You're older half brother, or did you erase me from your little memory palace? Red _John_? You didn't think that was a clue I laid out for you? I figured you wouldn't pick up on that."

Jane's jaw fell open. How hadn't he…but it was so obvious now…how did he miss _that_? He had never felt so stupid in his whole life. His older half brother, Jonathan Jane, who had changed his identity to Scott _Johnson_, a security guard for the CBI. Right there! He'd been right there all along! The answer to his long journey for revenge was standing there, staring him right in the face and he _still_ hadn't seen it. He thought he'd been ahead, when he was really five steps behind the entire time.

"We didn't get along well, but why this?"

"We '_didn__'__t get along well_'?" Red John scoffed. "We didn't get along _at_ _all_, Patrick. I tolerated you because I had to. My life was fine until you came along. It was just me and dad and I had one of the best gags on the circuit, even though I was only six. And then we visited your town again the next year and your mom shows up and dumps you on us because she didn't want to be a mother. That was dad's biggest problem. The women. He couldn't stop trying to get in their pants and a few were stupid enough to let him. And we ended up with you as a result. God, I hate you. Do you really understand? I had to spend my free time watching you and then because I was with you, dad didn't want to be with me so I couldn't practise. Then, because I wasn't able to practise as often, I slacked in my gag and had to figure something else out. But, you. Oh, you did _so well_. Dad's newest little prodigy. His new star. I got too old, but you were still young enough. You were his 'boy wonder' and I was the sideshow. No one pays attention to the sideshow. No one cares. You got the recognition, the spotlight and the girls. I got the neglect, crappy room and sympathetic words of encouragement. All I wanted was to be good at something again. So I left and none of you even noticed, did you? I left and invented my new identity-_identities_. I perfected my craft and everything was going really well. Then, low and behold, Patrick Jane returns into my life and denounces me on live television. You thought you knew me so well. When we were younger and then while we are adults. You _never_ knew me. Not ever! You took what I cared about most. My reputation, the respect I had and my life. So, I took from you what you cared most about. Your family. I was working at the CBI at the time, but was luckily on vacation, so I had plenty of time. I needed to make sure I had the ability to access the case file. Angela let me in, you know that? She let me in and made me some coffee. Charlotte showed me a picture she'd drawn earlier that day of some fish she'd seen on TV. They were lovely, Patrick. You were lucky. But you were also stupid and lost them. To be honest, I thought that would be the end of you. You'd kill yourself, die in a hole, and I'd never hear about you again. But, somehow you managed to come back. And you found out who was in charge of the case and you just had to talk to them. Bet you didn't foresee this in your future, did you, boy wonder?"

Jane tried to step forward again, but his other arm was grabbed and pulled on, making pain shoot through his shoulder and causing his knees to buckle. He let out a small cry as he fell to his knees.

"You're a fraud. You always were. But that's enough about us, Patrick. I'm sure Teresa is dying to hear the options she has to choose from." Red John kissed Lisbon's temple, the sight made Jane sick. "Okay, Teresa. The lady gets to decide. You have three options. Option one: You watch as I kill Patrick and then I will let you go free and you'll never hear from me again. Option two: I kill _you_ in front of Patrick, then I'll let him go free and he and your team will never hear from me again. Option three: you swear yourself over to me for the rest of your life, do as I say. My friends will ruff Patrick up a bit more, but they won't kill him and then they'll let him go. Maybe you'll get to see each other again down the road. If you're lucky, Teresa, maybe I'll let you help me in my next murder. Don't worry. I'll give you a few minutes to decided. But please, do hurry. My patience wears thin."

Tears stung Lisbon's closed eyes. None of those options were appealing in any way. In the third option, at least they would both get to live. But being a puppet for Red John was worse than being dead. He'd always have that victory over her and over Jane, where death was a sort of freedom. Her head was spinning from the alcohol, pain and blood loss. All she really knew for sure was that she wasn't going to let Red John kill Jane. She'd never make that call. Not on anyone. She could live and be miserable, or she could die and…see what happened after that. Lisbon opened her tear-filled eyes to meet Jane's gaze.

Jane wished he really could read minds at this moment. Her eyes were so clouded and glazed, he wasn't even sure she was thinking about the current situation at all. Somehow, though, he felt he knew what she was going to say. Deep down, he knew the answer she was going to give. Tears rose to his eyes as he held her gaze and shook his head slightly, silently begging her not to say what he was fearing she would.

Lisbon squeezed her eyes closed again. She hoped Jane would understand why she made the decision she was about to voice. Her tears fell down her cheeks.

"Have you made your decision?" Red John asked.

"Two. Option two." Lisbon choked out. "Kill me and let him go. I won't be your pawn." Lisbon opened her eyes again to look at Jane. "I'm sorry."

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**Author's Note: This isn't the last chapter, I promise. There will still be one or two more chapters to follow. But, that was my little crack-pot theory I came up with. Hurray for crack-pot theories! I just couldn't picture Jane's dad as a faithful man, so I thought it would make sense if Jane had half siblings here and there and then I figured if he created a new identity as a CBI security guard he'd be close to the whole thing, explaining how he knew stuff that happened. But yeah, that's it for now. Hope to see you all at the next chapter! :3**


	10. His Promise

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay of this chapter. No excuses, but I am sorry. I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you all for your awesome reviews, favourites and follows! You guys are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: Mentalist is not my property. Sad day.**

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"Well, I have to admit, that's a little disappointing for me. But, got to make the best of it." Red John shrugged.

There was a loud bang from downstairs that grabbed everyone's attention.

"What was that!?" Red John demanded right before the door of the room was kicked in, knocking over the man holding Jane's arm.

Unprepared for the sudden lack of resistance, Jane fell forward hitting the floor with a heavy _thud_. He could hear a swarm of voices yelling as feet moved quickly around him in a whirlwind of shapes and shadows. He felt slightly dizzy as he tried to get back to his feet. Shots were fired.

"No!" Jane yelled, terrified Lisbon had been shot. There were too many people. Too many voices. Too much movement.

"Jane." Rigsby was suddenly next to him, trying to help him up and support him. "Jane. It's okay. We got you. Just chill for a second."

Jane squeezed his eyes closed, opened them and blinked rapidly in hopes of getting himself to focus better as he looked around and tried to see Lisbon. "Teresa…" "I'll get you over to her, just relax." Rigsby tried to calm him. Things had calmed down and some people had already left the room.

As things came into focus more around him, Jane was aware of Van Pelt's voice. Something about medics and an ambulance. Jane's arms was placed over Rigsby's shoulders as he was lead over to where Lisbon lay on the floor with Van Pelt at her side.

"It's going to be okay." Van Pelt took Lisbon's hand gently. "Medics are on their way, boss. They're coming. They're going help you. Just stay with me." There were tears stinging her eyes, but she didn't want to cry. Not now. Not here. She wasn't the one that should be crying.

Lisbon's eyes blinked slowly, lazily, and she slid her gaze over to look at Van Pelt. "You're a great cop." She managed to force out the words through her tired body. "I was glad Hannigan left. He was sort of a pain in my ass. Don't tell him that. I'm so lucky I hired you in his place…I thought you should know that…" The corners of Lisbon's mouth were turned upwards in the smallest hint of a smile and tears escaped her eyes, despite her not wanting them to.

"Thanks." Van Pelt smiled.

"Hey." Rigsby said gently as he lowered himself and Jane on the opposite side of Lisbon.

Lisbon shifted her gaze to him. "I confess. I drank the last yogurt drink of yours in the fridge. I was so sick of water and coffee and strawberry is my favourite. I'm sorry."

Rigsby shook his head. "It's fine." He choked a little on the words. "I'll just remember not to get strawberry next time." He tried to lighten the mood.

"Teresa-" Jane started, but was cut off as the paramedics rushed into the room, shooing the other three away after getting a brief summary of what put Lisbon in her current state.

"I have to go with her." Jane protested.

"Jane, you're in no condition to ride along in an ambulance." Van Pelt shook her head.

"But she-I can't-I can't let her be alone. I can't." Jane argued as the paramedics loaded Lisbon on to a stretcher to take her down to the ambulance.

"I'll go with her, Jane." Van Pelt told him. There's going to be another ambulance outside for you. Get yourself checked out. If anything happens, I'll let you know, I swear."

"I have to go with h-"

"Either I go, or neither of us go because you were too busy arguing with me." Van Pelt cut him off. "Which is it, Jane?"

"Go." Jane replied quickly.

"Thank you. Get yourself checked out. I'll see you at the hospital." Van Pelt nodded before hurrying to catch up with the paramedics.

"Come on." Rigsby helped Jane stand again. "You need an ambulance, too."

-Mentalist-

Jane's adrenaline had quickly faded while he was being treated. He had suffered through the x-rays and tests they'd put him through. Then he'd answered their questions and done everything else they'd told him to do. A moment arguing with them was another moment he wasn't able to go see Lisbon. They got him all cleaned off, gave him some hospital clothes and then gave him his prescription, a sling for his arm with the sore shoulder and a nurse pushed him in a wheel chair to the waiting room for Lisbon. Jane could walk, but they felt it was better for him to 'relax'. He was supposed to 'take it easy' for a few days. Clearly they didn't understand anything about what was going on with him.

It felt like forever before the nurse got him to the waiting room. Jane had almost snapped at her to go faster, but knew it would get him nowhere, so he clamped his mouth shut. He felt tired and sore, but none of that was going to stop him from being there. Not even close. He saw Van Pelt sitting in a plastic chair and the nurse stopped him next to her chair and left them to their own devices, since there was no one else in the waiting room.

"You okay?" Van Pelt looked over at him, worried.

"I'm fine." Jane replied quietly, shrugging. They just don't want me doing much physical activity. I can walk, but you know doctors. Have you heard anything?" He didn't bring up the fact that he could see she had been crying.

Van Pelt was grateful for his neglect of that topic and replied. "A little while ago they told me she was still in critical condition, but fighting. She needed her stomach pumped and some blood. She's in surgery now."

"Grace." Jane looked at her pleadingly. "I'm so sorry-"

Van Pelt shook her head. "Just-just stop. I'm so sick of us all blaming ourselves for things that happen. Especially you. I really-can we just wait? I'm not in the mood for apologies or niceties or anything like that. I want to sit here and wait for the doctor to come back with some good news soon. Okay? That's what I want."

Jane silently nodded. "May I just inquire about Rigsby and Cho?" He had thought all of them would be here.

"They're handling things with S.W.A.T. and Sac PD and everything. They wanted to come, but it's best to get as much done as we can before she wakes up and thinks she has to take care of everything. And I promised to keep them in the loop." She sat back uneasily, playing with her long hair.

"That would be best." Jane uttered before they both became silent. Jane slowly became very uncomfortable in their silence.

"What happened?" Van Pelt finally broke the silence, not able to brood over the topic any longer.

"Huh?" Jane looked over at her.

"While you two were captive." Van Pelt elaborated. "What happened? What'd Red John do?"

Jane looked down at him knees. He wasn't sure it was a story Van Pelt would really want to hear, regardless of what she might think. "That's going to have a very unpleasant answer."

"Well, tell me the answer." Van Pelt was serious. "I already know it's not going to be pleasant."

Jane thought for a moment, debating if he wanted to tell her or not. And if he were going to tell her; what parts should he leave out?

"Jane?" Irritation was laced through her gentle tone. Clearly, she didn't want to be left in the dark.

Jane looked at her and decided that saying nothing was worse than saying a little. He told her about the creepy friends and the 'game' he'd had to play, but left out any non-essential details.

"Why would he want you to have dinner with him and his creepy friends?" Van Pelt was stumped on that.

"Before 'the game' he wanted us to meet them, I guess." Jane shook his head.

"We caught quite a few of the friends and they'll be going on trial as well." Van Pelt shook her head. "How could they just watch? How could they _help_?"

"They're sick." Jane replied. "Sometimes there isn't a reason when they do things."

Van Pelt folded her arms and leaned back heavily in her chair. "I guess…Where is this damn doctor!?"

"I'm sure he'll be back soon." Jane told her quietly. "I'm sure Teresa will pull through."

"She better." Van Pelt choked.

"She's a strong woman."

"Can we not-" Van Pelt shook her head.

"If you need to talk, Grace, we can talk. If you're angry at me, you can tell me."

"I'm not mad at you." Van Pelt snapped. "That's not the problem at all."

"What is it?"

"I just need her to live. I really need her to live."

"We all do." Jane agreed.

"Well, she-" Van Pelt stopped herself before she said too much.

"What, Grace?"

"Nothing."

"It's between us, if you want it to be. The others will never hear about it."

Van Pelt glanced sideways at him and knew that if there was a time to voice how she felt, it would be now. "She's like my older sister. I know that sounds really childish, but that's how it is. I admire her. She can't just die. Nothing could be the same, no matter how badly we all try. Change was bad enough when you got her suspended and almost fired. I don't even want to think about what her dying would be like. She has to live."

Jane nodded. "It's not childish, Grace. That's really sweet, actually. I'm worried about how things would change without her, too. She's the person I'm closest to."

The door was opened and a doctor in a white lab coat entered with a clip board. "Lisbon, Teresa?"

Jane and Van Pelt stood abruptly at the sound of Lisbon's name, though Jane winced as his sore body complained. Defiantly, she walked with Van Pelt over to the doctor.

"Friends? Is her family not here?" The doctor glanced around the waiting room.

"We're part of the family." Jane said. "Basically."

The doctor looked at Jane curiously before looking back at his clip board. "She needed her stomach pumped, a blood transfusion and then surgery. It will take a while, but she should recover. So far, she's stable, but fragile. She needs a lot of rest and care. We've got her in a room right now. She'll be asleep for the rest of the night, probably, but you can see her. Just keep the amount of visitors in her room to a minimum. Two at a time at most."

Jane and Van Pelt nodded and thanked the doctor before getting the room number for Lisbon and heading down the hall. Quietly, they entered the room and closed the door behind them and held back the wave of sadness that hit them both at the sight of Lisbon so small and fragile in the hospital bed with tubes and wires all connected to her. A heart rate monitor was beeping away in the corner, completely ignored by the people in the room.

Jane was the first to snap out of it and make his way to Lisbon's bed, sitting gently on the edge and softly covering one of Lisbon's hands with his good one. Part of him expected her to wake up and tell him stop being an idiot and that she was fine, but he knew that she wouldn't.

Van Pelt joined him at Lisbon's bedside and made sure that the covers were tucked around Lisbon properly, fussing over every little wrinkle to try and distract herself from the sad sight.

"You should probably call Cho and Rigsby." Jane said, quietly. "Give them the update. You promised. And it's not the worst news, at least."

Van Pelt looked at him for a moment before nodding and leaving the room, grabbing her cell phone from her pocket.

Once the door closed behind her, Jane looked back at Lisbon, brushing a few strands of hair off her forehead with his not injured hand. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger on her skin. "I'm sorry." He whispered in her ear. "For everything. I should have done better, but we need you. We _really_ need you. I know I do. I'll do better, I promise. I won't make the same mistakes again. I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you. I love you, Teresa. No matter how many times you might have questioned that in the past, I do." Tears stung in Jane's eyes and his voice wavered slightly. "I finally got Red John, but none of that will be worth it if I lose you right now. None of it. I need you and I love you. I never wanted to admit that, but now I know how stupid I was to stand on my pride and desire for revenge. I should have told you sooner. I should have held you as close as I could, instead of pushing you away. I never liked pushing you away. You've always been so strong. You can't quit now. Wake up soon. Please. Even if it's just so that you can yell at me and insult me, I'll be happy. I just need you to wake up. I want to hear your voice and see your beautiful eyes. I'll be right here until you do."

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**Author's Note: That's it for now! Thanks for reading and sticking with me! There will be one more chapter for sure. After that...I don't know. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, shall we? I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review to let me know what you thought!**


	11. New Beginning

**Author's Note: No excuses, I just ended up taking a long time to post this and I'm sorry. This story is coming to a close and I would like to thank all of you who favourited, followed and reviewed this story, you guys really motivate me! I hope you all have enjoyed reading the story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't even know how many times The Mentalist has been on my wish list.**

* * *

Lisbon felt something on her face as she returned to consciousness. It moved across her cheek. A bug? No. It wasn't crawling. A finger. It felt like a finger being run across her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open and she was greeted by the sight of Jane's face.

Jane smiled brightly. "Welcome back." He leaned forward and placed and affectionate kiss to Lisbon's cheek.

"Jane…?"

"It's okay." Jane told her quietly. "Everything's being taken care of."

"I lived…" Lisbon glanced around the room. She hadn't expected to make it.

"Thankfully." Jane breathed and kissed her cheek again.

"Where are the others?"

"Rigsby had to pick up Ben, Cho went to get us all some food and Van Pelt went to get you some things from home to make you more comfortable."

They heard the room door open and Cho stepped through carrying two paper bags and a drink tray.

"You're awake." Cho said in his usual tone, but it wasn't hard to tell that he was relieved and happy. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah." Lisbon managed a small smile.

Cho put the food down on the bedside table. "I'll go get the doctor."

"No, it's okay-ow." Lisbon tried to sit up, but was unable to on her own.

Jane and Cho helped her and then Cho left to get the doctor.

"What time is it?" Lisbon didn't see a clock in clear view.

"About one in the afternoon."

"How long was I out?"

"All night and all morning."

Lisbon sighed and leaned more heavily against the pillows.

"Teresa…" Jane ran his thumb gently over Lisbon's cheekbone again. She looked right at him. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine." She told him.

"It's not fine." Jane shook his head. "I'm sorry. For everything. You never deserved any of that. I'll do better now, I promise. You're the most important person in my life and I'm sorry I was too much of an ass to see it before. I love you." He cupped her face with both his hands.

Lisbon closed her eyes and tilted her cheek into his touch. "What happened with Red John?"

"He's dead. Well, in a coma technically. It's not looking good for him though. Oh well."

"How did the team find us?"

"You don't have to worry about these things."

"I want to know."

"One of my neighbours complained about some noise and crowds at my old house and Cho knew it had to be Red John because there was no other reason for there to be people there."

"Thank god for that neighbour."

"I couldn't agree more. Also." Jane removed his hands from her face and reached into his pocket. "I should give this to you before the doctor gets here." He pulled her cross necklace out of his pocket. "One of the nurses gave it back to me last night."

"Jane." Lisbon looked at the necklace, reaching out with one hand to touch the golden ring that she just realised was missing from Jane's left hand.

"Would you like me to take it off?"

Lisbon looked at him surprised. "You aren't going to put it back on?"

Jane's expression softened even more. "She was my wife and I love her. I'm not going to act like she never existed and I know you wouldn't expect me to. But, I'm trying to move on, like I know she would want and it's not fair to you for me to wear it as if she were more important. Moving on means letting go of all my thoughts of revenge and guilt and bad feelings. While I wore the ring in memory of Angela, those bad memories are still stuck to it as well. It's also a symbol for my revenge. This is me trying to let go a little. I wouldn't ever be able to throw the ring away, but I think it would be fitting to give it to you. I understand if you don't want it, but I know you would take care of it since it is still a part of me."

Lisbon looked at him with watery eyes, sniffled and nodded.

Jane undid the clasp and clipped it around Lisbon's neck, fixing her hair when the necklace was in place.

Lisbon looked down at the necklace.

"That's the piece of me that no one else will ever get." Jane whispered, then lightly added. "No refunds."

"Likewise." Lisbon's lips tilted upward in a smile.

Jane grinned and leaned forward to kiss Lisbon's lips softly just before the doctor came in.

-Mentalist-

A nurse knocked on the door, interrupting the conversation/mini party that the team had started in Lisbon's hospital room to try and make things seem a little bit more upbeat. Besides. They had their boss' life to celebrate. She'd lived, after all.

"Excuse me." The nurse said. "I hate to interrupt, but visiting hours are ending. I'm going to have to ask you all to come back tomorrow."

"Already?" Van Pelt looked out the window. When had it gotten so dark out?

"Time flies." Rigsby sighed.

Cho said nothing. Just nodded.

"Hey." Van Pelt said to the nurse. "Would you mind taking a picture before we leave?"

Lisbon groaned.

"That's a great idea." Jane smiled. "Would you, ma'am?"

The nurse smiled and nodded. "Sure. I'd be happy to."

Jane sat on the side of the bed while Cho and Rigsby leaned in and Van Pelt gave the camera to the nurse.

"No." Lisbon complained, putting her hands over her face. "I look terrible. No pictures."

"Come on, Teresa." Jane gently pulled her hands from her face. "You have to be in the picture."

"Nooooo." Lisbon moaned, but didn't have the strength to break her arms free from Jane's hands to block her face again. His arms were around her and the others leaned in to be in the picture as well, all smiling.

"Say cheese." The nurse told them.

"Cheese!" Rigsby, Van Pelt and Jane all complied.

Lisbon just rolled her eyes while Cho stayed silent.

The nurse chuckled as the picture showed up on the cameras screen. "It's sure a picture that has a lot of character.

They all thanked the nurse as she gave Van Pelt back the camera and left.

"Lets see it." Jane said.

Van Pelt found the picture and showed it to them. As it turned out, everyone had smiled for the picture. Even Cho.

_Tired with kisses sweet,_  
_They agree to meet_  
_When the silent sleep_  
_Waves o'er heaven's deep,_  
_And the weary tired wanderers weep._

**_The End_**

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**Author's Note: Well, that's it. Sorry it's so short. Thanks for reading! I'm contemplating an epilogue and someone proposed a sequel, but I'm not saying anything for sure yet. Leave a review to let me know what you thought.**


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